In the last few decades, the number of vehicles used by drivers is continuously increasing, and traffic congestion became a common phenomenon and an urban problem. Due to traffic congestion, many drivers spend a significant amount of time, sometimes over one hour, in order to travel by car over a relatively short route. This may result in, for example, a waste of precious time that the driver needs to spend in his vehicle, instead of at home or at work, as well as significant frustration by the driver. Furthermore, a longer travel time typically corresponds to a higher utilization of fuel by the vehicle, which in turn corresponds to higher fuel expenses for the driver. Additionally, heavy traffic contributes to an increase in pollution, thereby creating a possible health hazard in some urban areas as well as an environmental problem. Carpooling has been used without significant impact. The other alternative is taxi and public transportation. However, the use of public transportation can be inconvenient if on-demand is needed for a meeting. Taxi is expensive and still requires the user to wait for the pick-up.
Travelers are bypassing the taxi queue with greater frequency, choosing instead ride-sharing services like Lyft or Uber. While taxis, limousines and airport shuttles still dominate the ground transportation business, ride-sharing services are rapidly on the rise among business travelers.